In honor of the new baseball season this year, I picked up my copy of Blockade Billy by Stephen King and gave it another read through. It is one of King’s few baseball books and I thought it would be a good idea to give you guys my thoughts on this short book by one of America’s favorite writers.
Stephen King and baseball go together like, well, Stephen King and horror books. Fans of King have known for years how much the writer loves baseball and in this short book about an unknown catcher with a troubled past, we get a lot of baseball and a little vintage King creepiness as well. Baseball players are a wild bunch and can at times be reckless (Ala gambling, drinking, womanizing, and more recently drug taking). The good thing about this story is that King gives Blockade Billy, a good catcher deserted by the sharp cogs of a “me-first society,” a soft side that all of us can relate to. It is no wonder to me why Americans tend to relate more with baseball players than other sports figures. Baseball, no matter what people may believe, remains our National Pastime because of its relate-ability to most of America. Unlike other sports, ballplayers remind us of well, us. Most Americans are not overly huge, and like ballplayers, Americans grind away at our jobs all year with very little breaks.
I will not play spoiler to those of you who have not read this yet by giving you most of the good details of the book but what I will say is that Blockade Billy is a good book to read on those lonely afternoons when its raining outside and your team is in last place. The book is worth the few hours it takes to get through.
One final thought about Blockade Billy. My home team, the Houston Astros, could use a Blockade Billy, desperately, no matter his troubled past. I would take him over anything we have now.
See all of you later friends.
Michael J. King
North of the Bayou 